


The Royal Pianist

by wemaketheworldgo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Classical Music, F/F, F/M, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, suuuper slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wemaketheworldgo/pseuds/wemaketheworldgo
Summary: “I wish we could talk a little bit longer. Would you save me a dance?”“Unfortunately, I’ll be playing the piano that everyone will be dancing to. I wish I could.”“I look forward to hearing you play, then.” His eyes are full of mirth as he bids you goodbye, walking away backwards before fully turning away. You watch Jaehyun’s retreating figure, feeling more alone as he leaves.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Reader, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil
Kudos: 8





	1. La Fille Sans Larmes

**Author's Note:**

> pls ignore all my other unfinished works i'll get around to finishing them 2021 new year new me

It was when you were playing that your senses felt most alive. The smooth ivory under your fingertips were accompanied by the dull thud of each keypress, the notes flowing from your fingertips smoother than milk. The honey-sweet melodies bring images of flowering gardens and sparkling rivers, towering trees and flitting birds visible in your mind’s eye. Even with your eyelids closed, you could feel the warm afternoon sun coming in from the ceiling-tall windows to caress your cheek, with a slight draft coming in from the window that you had left slightly ajar.

You could also hear the rapidly approaching footsteps out in the hallway, and brace yourself for the incoming intrusion. Just as you hit the last note in the measure, the door swings open to reveal your disheveled lady-in-waiting. “Young miss,” she exclaims, exasperated, “you  _ know _ you’re going to be late at this rate, will you please get dressed? You’re going to shorten my life span!” You laugh at this and reply, “Joy, don’t be ridiculous. You’ve only just reached 18 years, you’ve still got plenty more left to live.” You calmly get up and give the ivory keys a parting brush before following Joy to your bedroom as she grumbles about how she’ll be the one in trouble if you were late to such an important event.

Quickly, she helps you into your stays and gown, a decadent champagne ball gown decorated with a cascade of pearls. The dress itself is not so precious to you, but you do admire its intricacy. As you do your own makeup, Joy does your hair, excitedly proclaiming that you would be the belle of the orchestra. “Joy, why act like this is so special? I’ve been performing for the Academy Orchestra every week for the past year.” 

The Academy was where you had been taking music studies with a specialisation in piano since you were young. Your parents had an inclination for music themselves, with your father knowing how to play piano and your mother a former opera singer, and you had grown up being surrounded by music. You had learned the piano at a young 5 years old, and your parents wanted to send you to the Academy to learn other instruments as well, proclaiming you a prodigy. A year ago, you had been appointed the lead pianist at the Academy Orchestra at only 20 years old, the youngest to have been appointed so in the history of the Academy. 

Today, however, Joy claims to be special. “Why would it NOT be special? Today’s the day the royal family is watching you perform! You can’t dress in your normal attire for that!” You sigh relentingly, not agreeing with her but not wanting to argue. After all, she was only one hairpin away from stabbing your scalp.

As soon as she finishes your hair, she pulls you up and rushes you out of the room and out of the house, into the awaiting carriage where your parents are waiting. Joy bows to your parents, “Apologies for making the Count and Countess wait. My lady is ready to leave.” You get into the carriage and plop unceremoniously onto your seat, gathering your skirts to make sure they don’t get caught in the carriage door as the coachman closes it before starting the horses.

“Really, you’re so unladylike, y/n,” your mother huffs with a frown. “How will you find a good husband with manners like yours?” “Don’t worry, mother. That’ll be my problem, not yours.” 

Your father laughs at that, patting your mother’s hand to reassure her. “Any man who tries to court our y/n will be the most fortunate man.” 

“Well she doesn’t exactly have many suitors lining up for her hand! She stays indoors all day to play the piano and barely socializes,” your mother retorts.

You roll your eyes and share a smile with your father. “I have plenty of friends at the Academy, don’t worry mother.” 

“As if any man there would date you when you’re more talented than them,” your mother says as she crosses her arms. You laugh at that.

You all arrive at the theatre where the orchestra plays every week. You jump off before your parents can stop you and race to the back entrance for performers, almost bumping harshly into your first violinist who nearly dropped her violin case. You apologize profusely as you rush inside to find your conductor, Doyoung. Weaving through the crowd of instruments and people on your tiptoes, you finally spot him talking to the percussion players. You run over to him to confirm your attendance, yelling his name to catch his attention. Upon hearing his name, he glances up and sees you and as soon as you get close enough he flicks you on the head.

“Ow!!!”

“Where have you been? It’s 15 minutes past call time! Do you think just because we’re friends and because you’re the daughter of a count that I’d give you special treatment? We need you in the very first performance!” You wince as you rub the sore spot on your head. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have dared laid hands on a daughter of a count, but Doyoung and you had been close friends since your first days in the Academy, and he was like an older brother to you. A very naggy older brother, that is.

“Look Doie, I’m here now and that’s what matters.” You smile brightly at him in an attempt to appease him, but instead he just closes his eyes and rubs his temples in exasperation. “Just go and get ready to be called, please.” You do a playful salute and run to the left entrance of the stage. From behind the curtain, the lights are already on and the host is nearly finished making the opening speech.

“--and lastly, we welcome our most honorable guests for tonight, the esteemed rulers of our country here to pay visit to our humble company, King Lee and his royal family, may God bless you.” The host bows deeply in the direction of the VIP box on the third floor, which you can’t see but you know is there. The box was rarely used, only reserved for guests as important as the royal family of your kingdom. You wish you could see what they looked like--you had never seen any member of the royal family before as you rarely attended large gatherings in what your mother deemed “high society.” However, the glare from the lights prevented you from seeing into the audience. 

“Now, ladies and gentlemen,” the host begins, “let us proceed with our program. Please welcome the best and brightest graduates and students of the Academy of Music, the Academy Orchestra.”

The rest of the orchestra files in ahead of you, and you feel your hands shake slightly with nerves. The conductor is next to be called, and Doyoung gives you a pat on the back and a reassuring smile as he passes by, which helps calm you a bit. Finally, it is your turn to enter, and you exhale heavily before pushing your shoulders back and stepping gracefully across the stage to stand in the middle. You force a smile and a curtsey and try to avoid eye contact with the black void past the edge of the stage, where faceless audience members seem to taunt you with their applause. You try to imagine your parents being the only ones in the crowd as you head to the piano bench and take a seat, front and center of the stage. You place your fingers on the keys, and the coolness of the ivory washes you in a serene, almost meditative state, all nervousness abated. You watch for Doyoung to signal the start of the piece, wait for the first dip of the bow that will cut the silence looming over tense over the stage. 

He signals the time signature for a beat and in the next moment, the orchestra breaks into song, you included. The first piece was a strong one, meant to make a lasting impression on the audience. It was like being thrown into the ice-cold ocean rather than easing your toes onto the shoreline. Your fingers were not so much flowing as they were flying, zooming to the next key faster than you could think. You didn’t have to think of course, you already memorized and practiced the piece a hundred times. All you were concerned with now was putting your emotion into it, creating a story with the notes that you interwove with the storm that the rest of the orchestra was brewing. It is a song of power, of worship, almost resembling the din of a battlefield. The song is like a hurricane threatening to descend onto the audience, sweeping everything up in its way before ending dramatically with a bang of thunder.

As the last echo of the drum rings out, there is a pregnant pause as everyone holds their breath. Then suddenly, the audience bursts into applause. You smile in relief. The rest of the night would be smooth sailing from here.

At the halfway point, there was a brief interlude. You go out into the theatre lobby in search of the toilet, as the one backstage is always full at this time and the performance right after the interlude did not need a piano, anyway. The hallway leading to the toilet is empty to your surprise, as you had expected the usual gaggle of ladies from the audience looking to freshen up. It’s dimly lit, with only a couple of lamps lighting the way, and as you pass by the men’s toilet the door swiftly swings open and a man almost walks straight into you. 

Luckily you avoid it, and he swiftly takes an apologetic bow. “My apologies, lady, I didn’t see you.” His voice is low and warm, honeylike in its timbre. You quickly return the bow before looking up at his face, only to be struck by the attractiveness in his features. His chestnut hair and porcelain cheeks contrast with his sharp jawline and muscular shoulders.

  
“Are you alright, miss?” another male voice from your left asks you. You then realise you had been staring at the stranger and blush as you turn to look at the other male, who was taller and sharper-looking than the first gentlemen. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” You quickly bow and rushed to the ladies’ toilet before you could further embarrass yourself.

As soon as you return backstage, you’re ambushed by a few of your friends. “Y/n, you won’t believe what you just missed while you went to the toilet!” one exclaimed. They’re all obviously brimming with excitement, pulling you along with their arms into an emptier corner without any chance to reply, where you spot Doyoung sitting on a chair, staring into space. You ask, “Doyoung? What’s just happened? What’s going on? And why are you like that?”

Doyoung just slowly lifts his gaze to meet yours and tells you as you look on in confusion. “Y/n….. we’re going to a royal ball.”

  
  


“Huh?”


	2. Prelude

“So let me get this straight… the King… the almighty ruler of our country, went backstage PERSONALLY to ask us to play for the third prince Donghyuck’s birthday party,” you ask everyone around the table. “Yeah,” Taeil says, a bite of pork already in his mouth,”and prince Donghyuck was with him too. Shame we didn’t see the crown prince nor the second prince. I heard they’re hunks.” Doyoung whacks Taeil on the side of the head as you look at them incredulously.

Taeil pouts at Doyoung and jokes, “I’m sorry sweetheart, you don’t have to be jealous.”

“You’re lucky we’re actually dating or I would maim your right hand,” is Doyoung’s only reply. Taeil holds his right hand close to his chest, protecting the hand he uses to hold the neck of his cello.

The three of you are having dinner after the performance like you do every week, much to the dismay of your mother who would rather you were at another high society ball than in a small local restaurant with non-nobles. You’re sure your mother will be delighted at the news. Taeil and Doyoung laugh when you tell them so, well aware that if it weren’t for them being part of the prestigious orchestra, she would never have allowed you to meet them either.

“She’s right in one aspect, y/n-- maybe you’ll meet the man of your dreams at this party,” Taeil wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at you. You retort, “You forget that while people are dancing, we’ll be the ones providing the dance music. And I’m no damsel in distress, I’m perfectly fine being single.” Doyoung snorts. “Would anyone even want to dance with you when you can barely keep from tripping on your own two feet?” You glare at him and threaten to stab him with your fork. Taeil pulls your arm down. “Don’t listen to him y/n. He may be able to keep a beat but he's stiff as a board."

"You two are the bane of my existence."

You and Taeil laugh at Doyoung's misery. He sulks until you buy him a piece of his favorite strawberry cake for dessert, after which he childishly declares your friendship restored.

Doyoung and Taeil bicker over the last bite of the cake and you're struck with fondness watching them, reminded of the d aysback when you were all students. You used to spend every day together, and you were glad that after all these years you were still as close as ever. Your days now seemed so routine, spent only on practice and performances, and you were thankful for their company.

Doyoung finally relents and gives Taeil the last bite of cake. Taeil gives Doyoung the last piece of strawberry in return. The two of them switch to being sickeningly sweet to each other so quickly that you nearly coil in disgust. "Could we just start discussing what pieces we'll be performing at the ball?"

\--------------------

The day of Prince Donghyuck’s birthday ball has finally arrived. You’d chosen a beautiful blush pink tulle gown that reminded you of a rose color and was made of multiple layers of semi-translucent tulle. Your parents wanted you to look more special as you were rarely ever out to parties, and your mother had especially enjoyed watching you choose colors and designs to wear for the ball. With Joy’s magic hands, your hair was set perfectly, and for once you actually felt excited to dress up.

When you and your parents arrive at the ball, however, you suddenly feel quite small. There are quite a number of young ladies who were dressed more extravagantly, and people are not hiding the fact that they are whispering about you, the daughter of a count who had previously rarely shown herself in social gatherings, who spent her time almost as a recluse except to play piano in the local theatre. With no group of friends to go to, you stick by your parents who introduced you to many other nobles, who of course comment on your previous absence in high society. You wish desperately for Doyoung and Taeil to arrive soon so that you could have someone else to talk to.

Spotting a table of small refreshments, you excused yourself from your parents, desperate to escape the watchful looks of the gossiping nobles. Still, as you nibble on a small sandwich you can hear people behind you pretending to whisper but speaking at a volume obviously intended for you to hear.

“Isn’t she the recluse?”

“How brave of her to finally show her face. I haven’t seen her since she first debuted almost six years ago.”

“Poor girl. She must be inept in some way for her to have no friends.”

“She must have gone crazy playing the piano all day”

Though you had expected such comments, it did not stop your heart from feeling heavy. As you debate turning around and rebutting the comments, a familiar voice calls out to you from nearby.

“Good evening, Lady y/n.”

You turn to find the man that you bumped into in the theatre smiling at you and approaching you with an intricately designed blue and gold suit, with his companion close behind in military regalia. Unlike last time when you faced him in embarrassment, this time you are met with relief for a friendly face. 

“Good evening, sirs. I apologize again for last time, and for how I left. I believe I prevented myself from the pleasure of knowing your names.”

You thank God for the chance to hear his voice again as it had entranced you the first time you met. “Yes, it was quite unfortunate. You may call me Jaehyun, and my companion’s name is Johnny.” The tall man beside him bows, and his voice is gentle as he greets, “A pleasure, Lady y/n.”

With his military garb and attachment to Jaehyun, it seems to you that Johnny was his personal guard, which means Jaehyun must be the son of someone quite important, perhaps a duke. If that were so, you wondered why Jaehyun didn’t want to mention his last name.

“Forgive me sirs, I’m not quite adept at social etiquette. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about me but I truly don’t meet with other nobles often. Would it really be alright to refer to you two as informally as you ask me to?”

Johnny and Jaehyun share a look and break out into laughter. After catching his breath, Jaehyun assures you, “Don’t worry, we won’t kill you if you don’t call us by any title. In fact, I find titles to be quite suffocating, don’t you?” 

That brought a smile of relief to your face. “Then please call me y/n as well, Johnny and Jaehyun. Forgive me for being forward then, but I hope we can be friends as I have no company in gatherings like these.” The two men laugh again, surely taken by surprise by your unladylike request. 

Truthfully, you found it much less intimidating talking to these two kind gentlemen than the gossipmongers that were hovering just out of hearing range constantly glancing your way. “What a refreshing lady!” Johnny exclaimed, “Well we can’t say no, now can we, Jae?” Jaehyun nodded cheerfully. You found yourself staring at the dimples on the man’s cheeks, as you felt your own cheeks hurt from smiling widely.

Just then, a servant approached the duo and whispered in Johnny’s ear--which was admittedly quite a feat as the man was six feet tall-- and Johnny announced, “Apologies, y/n, but we’re being summoned.” Jaehyun turned to you and smiles apologetically.

“I wish we could talk a little bit longer, y/n. Would you save me a dance?”

“Perhaps. I’ll be playing the piano that everyone will be dancing to, but there might be a waltz or two where I won't be needed.” The image of dancing with such an attractive man made you blush, and you're thankful for the excuse to not have to go through the embarrassment of revealing your lack of dance skills.

“Ah right, forgot. I look forward to hearing you play, then.” His eyes are full of mirth as he bids you goodbye, walking away backwards before fully turning away. You watch Jaehyun’s retreating figure, feeling more alone as he leaves. 

Luckily for you, Doyoung and Taeil find you right after. Doyoung, ever observant, asks you “Who was that?” “Oh, just a new friend.” Doyoung narrows his eyes at you. “What? You don’t have any friends.” Taeil, on the other hand, proclaims, “Ha! I knew you would meet the man of your dreams at this ball.” You slap the both of them on the arm, exasperated and reconsidering your own choice of friends. “Did you two come over just to bother me?”

“Oh right! We actually came over to call you to the orchestra pit, we’ll be needed soon.” You follow the two to the orchestra area at the end of the dance hall and move to sit at the piano bench.

At the opposite end of the hall, a tall staircase with thrones at the landing stands over the dance floor. A servant appears at the top of the stairs, and proclaims in a loud voice, “Attention, ladies and gentlemen. Presenting his Majesty, ruler of our nation, King Lee and his royal family.” 

The entire ballroom hushes into silence as the King himself appears at the top of the stairs. With a kindly smile, he declares, “I thank you all for coming today to celebrate the birthday of my youngest son, Prince Donghyuck.” He gestures to his right, and beside him appears a young boy who looks to be around 18, with golden brown hair and tanned skin contrasting a brilliant all-white suit. The King continues, “It is a great thing to celebrate the life of a child. Although Donghyuck is the youngest, he is also very precious to me. With his boundless energy, I’m sure he will achieve great things in the future.” He looks to Donghyuck with paternal adoration, and pats him on the shoulder.

“I’m also fortunate to have my two other sons with me. Heir to my throne, Crown Prince Taeyong--” and to your utter shock, as two figures appear at the top of the stairs, you instantly recognize the man with chestnut hair. Your surprise is confirmed as the King finishes his sentence, “--and second Prince Jaehyun.”


	3. The First Waltz - Robert Farnon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You did promise me a dance, did you not?”  
> You barely make a sound as you breathe out, “Your Highness.”  
> He makes a tsk sound and playfully scolds, “Did I not tell you not to call me with any title?”  
> You bite your lip in hesitance before whispering as low as you could, “Your h- Jaehyun, I don’t know how to dance.”
> 
> You expect him to laugh at you, to tease you for your lack of manners and for how unladylike you truly are. Instead, his eyes soften and he tries to reassure you, “It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> self indulgent fic to help me cope wif mental illnuss luv xx

You sit in open-mouthed shock as you watch the two eldest princes bow to the crowd. To think that you were actually talking to a Prince--informally, no less! You were embarrassed to think of how many people heard you addressing him without a title--had he intended to embarrass you? 

His eyes seem to scan the room then quickly land on yours, and neither of you look away. You can’t deny that you’re attracted to him but you also can’t shake the fear that he was taunting you now, standing tall and expressionless above you, gaze unbreaking. The previously warm and gentle demeanor he had shown seemed to have disappeared, masked by a princely posture and blank stare.

What’s more is that you can feel several stares boring holes into your back; Doyoung and Taeil, probably, since they saw you talk to him; other attendants too, who had seen you talk with him previously.

“To begin the celebrations, we shall begin the waltz,” a servant bellows.

You do your best to ignore the stares, including Jaehyun’s, and focus your attention on Doyoung’s conductor’s bow. Hands ready in position and heart threatening to jump out of your throat, you nod impatiently to Doyoung to tell him to hurry and begin. At least while you were playing you could focus on the song and not have to look anywhere else.

Donghyuck and Taeyong walk down the stairs and join the parallel lines of men and women on the dance floor, ready to begin the waltz. You watched as Jaehyun chose to sit beside his father on the stairs, discussing something with the king. 

“It’s said that Prince Jaehyun has no interest in women or men.”

You turn to the source of the voice, a lady standing on the dance floor to your right, thinking she was speaking to you, but see that she was actually talking to a group of women standing nearby. You’re trying so hard to listen to them that you nearly miss your cue, and Doyoung glares at you. You turn back to watch your fingers, but still try to listen in on the conversation.

“He rarely ever dances with anyone. Isn’t that so boring?”

“All he does is spar with soldiers all day, that must be so drab.”   
“What a shame, he’s incredibly handsome. Such a cold personality won’t get him very far in life.”

“Well, he is a prince after all. I’m sure he can get anything he wants.”

It seems that Jaehyun was not a mystery only to you, but to everyone here. While you snuffed your nose at the socialites that seemed so eager to assume things about his personality, were you not doing the same thing by assuming he was warm and gentle just from the two interactions you had had with him? Though you had naively asked him to be your friend and he agreed, he had hid his identity from you, so who were you to say you knew him better than any of them?

Nonetheless, you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and thought it would be unfair to listen to negative hearsay; you instead chose to turn your attention on the piece you were playing. A straightforward, light waltz to begin the party had been Doyoung’s decision, and you were glad he seemed to have some knowledge of what nobles typically liked to do in occasions like these. Such simple tunes meant for dancing were also different from the extravagant, showy performance pieces you were used to playing for the orchestra. It required a lot less of your focus, as it was a lot more repetitive. Luckily it seemed the dancers were actually enjoying themselves.

You actually caught sight of Prince Donghyuck dancing with a young girl his age with light blonde curls, and Prince Taeyong was in the arms of a dark-haired man who seemed to be quite light on his feet. Though both were indeed handsome, their facial features were so different from the second Prince’s: Donghyuck had the same light hair, but his skin was tanned compared to Jaehyun’s porcelain skin, and where Jaehyun had soft edges in his facial features, Taeyong was all sharp corners, much more regal and almost serious if not for his doe eyes. 

You turned to the top of the stairs to find Jaehyun just to see if you could compare his looks to theirs, and find his eyes looking straight at you. His face did not betray any emotions, but when your eyes met there was a slight lift in his eyebrow and you just knew that he meant it as some sort of silent signal to you. Only you.

Flustered, you break eye contact and train your face only on your fingers, not daring to take another glance in his direction. You’re afraid that if you lift your head, it will reveal your blushing cheeks and quickening breath, and it frustrates you that someone you’ve met in only a short time can affect you this way. You blame it on yourself, for your own lack of experience socialising normally, such that any man who shows you even a smidge of attention makes you consider losing your sense of propriety.

You keep your eyes down for the next five songs until you arrive at a piece where no piano accompaniment is needed. You keep your hands on your lap and seeing as there is now no excuse to keep watch on your fingers, you venture to look up again, and try to look nonchalant as you glance over in the direction of the thrones on the stairs. Surprisingly, Jaehyun whispers something to Johnny and begins to descend the stairs, leaving Johnny standing by his father. 

_ Is he finally, actually going to ask someone to dance? _ you ask yourself. You watch him, entranced by his strong gait and almost magnetic attractiveness, and so is everyone else in the room. As the orchestra continues playing the piano-less waltz behind you, you can’t help but imagine him dancing with another person, someone who is prettier, more mannerly, and definitely better at dancing than you are. The image captures you so much that even as you watch Jaehyun walk down the dance floor, you don’t really register where he was going until he’s standing right in front of you, holding out his palm.

“You did promise me a dance, did you not?” The gentle smile he had on before has returned, as he bends to make his face level with yours. You can see the lights from the ballroom’s overhead chandeliers reflecting in his eyes, making them glint.

You barely make a sound as you breathe out, “Your Highness.”

He makes a  _ tsk _ sound and playfully scolds, “Did I not tell you not to call me with any title?”

You bite your lip in hesitance before whispering as low as you could, “Your h- Jaehyun, I don’t know how to dance.”

You expect him to laugh at you, to tease you for your lack of manners and for how unladylike you truly are. Instead, his eyes soften and he tries to reassure you, “It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

You’re warmed by his consideration, and also simultaneously feel pressured by all the people staring at you. You’re probably in no position to say no, but you still appreciate how sweet Jaehyun is being about your nervousness. Burying your hesitation, you offer him a grateful smile and take his hand, allowing him to lead you onto the dance floor while your head is going ahead of itself trying to see if you actually remember anything from your one dance class 5 years ago.

Jaehyun seems to sense that you’re not quite present, and without looking directly at you he whispers, “Tip-toe-and-tuck on two.”

“What?”

“Waltzes have a ¾ time signature, right? Step sideways on the first beat, tiptoe on your right and tuck your left foot behind you on the second, and down again on the third. Right, up, down, left, down.” In another situation you might have been offended with how little he seems to think you know, but he’s actually right. And there was not a hint of condescension in his tone, nor annoyance in his gaze. You were also pretty sure your palms were sweating buckets, but if he noticed he did not point it out.

He stops in the center of the dance floor, and lets go of your hand to bow. You curtsey in return and the two of you step together again to take formation. You’re suddenly conscious of his hand on the back of your ribs, a heavy warmth seeping through your dress. 

“Ready?”

You give him a nod. He lightly tugs you to your right on the beat, and you try to keep his instructions in mind and feel both of your bodies raise slightly together on the second beat. He doesn’t rush you, encouraging you only to sway side to side while slowly rotating the both of you in your spot. 

“See, this isn’t so bad,” he jokes lightly.

“Are you sure? I don’t think dancing with someone as experienced as me would be pleasurable in any sense.”

“Well it grants me the opportunity to talk some more with my new friend, so I would say it’s quite worth it.”

“I heard you don’t even dance often. Is that true?”

He holds back his laughter, “There simply aren’t that many worthy dance partners around.”

You argue, “But there are so many attractive young men and women surely willing to dance with you in this ballroom.”

He replies teasingly, “Yes, but none of them asked to be my friend. I only dance with friends, you know.”

You roll your eyes, but you’re glad for his attempts to lighten the mood. It distracts you from thinking about what everyone else in the room is probably whispering about you. 

“You ready to try something slightly more complex?” he asks. You knit your brows in confusion before he spins you in place, catching your hands in the next. You involuntarily let out a surprised, “eep!” as you nearly collide with his chest, his face nearly inches away from yours. You quickly pull back, even more conscious of keeping distance you two as he simply watches you with an amused face. You can’t even make eye contact, and he notices.

“Y/n, look at me. You’re doing great, don’t worry.” Cheerful and confident, he continues to lead you effortlessly and you find that you are actually getting used to the movements and allowing yourself to be led with no resistance. Meeting his eyes for more than 5 seconds, however, is proving to be quite difficult. You can barely even hear the music, drowned by the sound of your heart drumming against your chest.

As the end of the song approaches you say, “I, uh, need to return. I’ll be needed to play for the next few songs,” you say, which is not a lie. You had already told him before that your time off the piano would be limited. “Very well, I’ll escort you back.” He removes his hand from your back, and you feel the distinct lack of warmth. You allow yourself to miss it, but only a little bit. Only as much as your heart can take.

You cross the sea of people and head for your piano bench like it’s an oasis in the desert, but before you sit down, you muster up the courage to curtsey to Jaehyun and say, “it was a pleasure dancing with you, Jaehyun.” You hope that the flush on your cheeks isn’t as visible as you think. Doyoung was sure to make fun of it later.

“The pleasure was mine, y/n,” he says with a final bow. “I hope we have the opportunity to speak again soon.” With that, he walks back towards the stairs as you plop down on the piano bench, seemingly in a daze. You watch his back cross the room, approached by several people who he almost immediately refuses, not slowing his pace until he arrives at the top of the stairs. As he turns to look over the ball again, his expression has returned to the impassive, cold stare he had donned previously. His split persona leaves you confused and gawking.

“Y/n!” you hear Doyoung sharply hiss, “next piece, ready!” You hadn’t even noticed that the song had ended and you quickly hastened to ready your sheet music and press the correct pedals before nodding to Doyoung that you were ready. He taps the baton on his stand to signal to the rest of the orchestra while also glaring at you. You were going to be in trouble later.

You decide that to make for it you will keep your head down for the rest of the pieces, focusing intently on the practiced movements of your fingers. The second set of songs were more difficult to play, as Doyoung had intended for the simpler songs to begin the celebrations and as the songs progressed, the set would get more joyous and energetic.

You were so focused on playing, in fact, that you hadn’t noticed that someone was leaning against the side of your piano until you heard a bright “Hello there!” and look up to see a smiling sun-kissed skinned boy with a voice just as sweet as his elder brother’s with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Your Highness?” What is Prince Donghyuck doing here talking to you?


	4. Trois beaux oiseaux de paradis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You turned back to Donghyuck to repeat your refusal, but he, too, had disappeared. Resigned, you drop your head in your hands. You didn’t think you had a choice to refuse the royal family anyway, but it seems like with those three boys, you were in for a ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my sister asked me to update here u go dis is for u but sorry it's so short i wrote this on a work break

If someone asked you yesterday if you ever thought you would get to meet a prince once in your life, you would have said no. With your social life voluntarily limited to orchestra players, there really didn’t seem to be a chance to ever be in the same social circles with the royal family.

And yet, within one night, two of them had voluntarily walked up to you to talk. Granted, you met the other one weeks ago at the theatre, and you hadn’t known he was a prince then, and even THEN that was barely a conversation. To say you were surprised by their attention was an understatement.

“May I help you, your highness?” you ask.

“I just wanted to see you up close. Who would be interesting enough to finally pull my dear brother onto the dance floor?” Donghyuck has a mischievous smirk on his face, resting his chin in his hand propped up on top of the piano. His intensely examining gaze makes you squirm in your seat.

“I assure you your highness, I am not of any interest.”

“Oh? You must be more interesting than any other lady in court if Jaehyun came down just for you. I’m surprised he even remembers how to dance.” His eyes glint playfully. “What’s your name, lady?”

“My name is y/n y/l/n.” His mouth forms an  _ oh _ in recognition. “Daughter of count y/l/n? How  _ very  _ interesting. Are you perhaps finished with your set?”

You actually were finished playing for the night, and the rest of the orchestra was packing up as well. You turned to lock eyes with Doyoung, who was watching the exchange with interest, and pleaded with your eyes for him to help you. He simply shrugged and turned away.  _ Not my problem _ .

Without waiting for your answer, Donghyuck says, “You see, lady, I am in need of your assistance.”

You turn back, wondering what he could possibly need from you.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware of my reputation, but I’m what my father calls a wild child. Which just means since I’m not in line for the throne, I quite enjoy shirking my studies and doing whatever I want.” He flicks his hair as if proud of the fact. You try not to smile, but it’s quite easy to see his easygoing demeanor. “Anyway, my father has been begging me to find some sort of hobby to bide my time, since he’s given up on my studying. My mother had a piano lying around at home, so Father thought, why not? He even suggested inviting the Academy Orchestra for my birthday, since Mother used to be part of it too. Part of trying to get me to show some interest in something for once, I suppose.”

As he went on his spiel, his hands moved animatedly, and it was admittedly amusing to watch. But as you listened, you kept waiting for him to get to the point as to why he was here talking to you, so you asked him.

He scoffed. “You still don’t get it? I’m in need of a piano instructor.”

You were in disbelief. “Wait, me? Why me, your highness? I’m sure there are many other more worthy pianists in the kingdom. I’ve never even taught anyone.”

Donghyuck simply gives a nonchalant shrug. “To be honest, I wasn’t actually planning on agreeing with my father and getting an instructor... until this evening. You,” he grinned, “have intrigued me. Plus, it’ll be mutually beneficial for both of us! My father will get off my back about being serious about something for once, and you can be in the palace and see more of my brother!”

At the mention of Jaehyun again, you feel your cheeks warm. You certainly hadn’t thought of that, but now that there was a chance of seeing him again, your heart began to race. And no, you don’t think you could handle seeing Jaehyun too often, lest you look like a fool in front of him.

“Your highness, I deeply apologize but I truly don’t think I’m qualified so I’ll have to refu---”

You’re interrupted mid-sentence by a voice calling out, “Hyuckie!” You glance quickly at the approaching stranger and are shocked to see the Crown Prince Taeyong himself walking towards you. You can feel the whispers around you growing even louder, as nobody is as attention-grabbing as the sharp-jawed, red-haired, graceful young man, the epitome of a stately prince.

“Oh, hello,” Taeyong says to you as he arrives, placing a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder. His voice and smile are gentle as you bow to him in greeting. 

“Oh Taeyong! Meet Lady y/n, she’s going to be my new piano instructor!”

“Your highness--I didn’t ag--”

“Oh how wonderful!” Taeyong grasps both of Donghyuck’s hands in his, “You’re interested in the piano, Hyuckie? Oh if only mother was here to see this.” Taeyong’s bubbly excitement breaks your previous image of a serious, level-headed prince. He keeps rambling non-stop, not allowing you to get a word in, “Thank you so much, Lady y/n. It’s a great honor to have you teach Prince Donghyuck. I must say, I’m a fan of your playing, it was quite a show back in the theatre, and even your dance music is delightful. Oh! I must tell father! He also compliments your playing. Do send our thanks as well to the rest of the orchestra for appearing tonight, you all played so well.” As quickly as he had appeared, he exits gracefully, crossing the ballroom and heading for the top of the stairs where the King sat. You felt like you just got hit by a whirlwind and sat for a while in shock.

You turned back to Donghyuck to repeat your refusal, but he, too, had disappeared. Resigned, you drop your head in your hands. You didn’t think you had a choice to refuse the royal family anyway, but it seems like with those three boys, you were in for a ride.


	5. Gymnopédie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no escaping it, you've been appointed the prince's official piano instructor. You just hope Donghyuck isn't the troublemaker people make him out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow an update!!! i finally had time to write for once!!

“Doyoung, _please,_ I’m begging you.”

“I don’t know about this, y/n. Who knows what kind of trouble I’d get into if I replaced the instructor the _prince personally chose._ ” Doyoung emphasizes the last three words, patting the hands you currently had clutched around his arm.

“What are you so upset about y/n? Even if Doyoung is a conductor who plays piano as well, he’s certainly no match for you in terms of skill. I think you’ll do a great job!” Taeil tries to reassure you.

“I told her the same thing, sir Taeil. I’m afraid it’s not a concern regarding her capabilities,” Joy said as she handed out cups of tea to the three of you.

You glare at your lady-in-waiting for that quip. After coming straight home from last night’s party you ran right to your room and ranted to Joy for hours about your worries about becoming the prince’s piano instructor--chief among them the second prince. She had patiently listened to you recounting last night’s events, squealing happily when you revealed that you had already met Prince Jaehyun and his guard and befriended them. You also spent a considerable amount of time trying to squash her outlandish daydreams of you becoming a princess, and begging her to keep such speculations a secret. Her slip of tongue would interfere with your plan to get Doyoung to fill in for you, because you were sure that once Doyoung knew the real reason, he would most definitely not agree.

“Are you concerned about the Third Prince Donghyuck? I heard he’s a bit of a troublemaker.” Doyoung lifted his eyebrow quizzically.

You sigh dramatically. “Oh, yes! You heard him say that he refuses to study, right? What if I get in trouble with the king if Prince Donghyuck doesn’t cooperate? You must be more capable than me in handling him, you’re dating Taeil after all!”  
“Watch your mouth, woman!” Taeil threatens while waving a biscuit at you. 

“Look, y/n, I don’t think we can help you. The king’s probably already drafting an official summons for you as we speak. Your parents will find out soon, too, and you know as well as we do that your mother won’t rest until you agree,” Doyoung sighs regretfully. Taeil pats your knee, trying to comfort you. “There, there, y/n. We support you. And look, who knows, maybe the prince will grow tired of the hobby and you’ll be free in no time!”

You sigh at Taeil’s reasoning. He’s right, you think, the youngest prince really didn’t seem all that interested in actually playing. You might make it out unscathed. Still, it doesn’t stop you from moaning in despair.

  
  


-

As Doyoung had predicted, the official summons from King Lee was sent to your parents within a day. You were to go to the Palace the very next afternoon, and the first person you were to meet was the King himself, which only made your nervousness increase exponentially. 

And now, standing in front of the closed doors leading to the royal throne room, you clutch at your wrinkled lesson books like your life depends on it. You were anxiously racking your brain trying to think of all the possible scenarios where you could possibly disrespect the most powerful figure in the kingdom while also trying to come up with what to say.

All of that practice goes flying out the window, however, as soon as the large wooden doors are opened. In front of you appears a large, rectangular room with large vaulted ceilings and a skylight letting in the sun. A maroon velvet carpet leads you from the door to the center of the room, where an elevated dais holds a gilded throne, upon which sat the King, dressed in military wear. Unlike his demeanor from the formal party, he seems more relaxed, waving you over with his hand. You see the resemblance to Taeyong’s gentle grin and Jaehyun’s kind eyes. 

“Dear Lady y/n,” he gestures, “welcome to the palace. I thank you so much for agreeing to be Donghyuck’s piano instructor.”

You bow with your head low, biting back the urge to mention that you technically had not agreed, but had been coerced by two of his sons. “Your Majesty, it is my honor. I look forward to teaching the young Prince,” you lie through your teeth.

“Rise now, child,” he says, and you resume standing upright. “I believe I will need to apologize in advance. That mischievous son of mine has been spoiled by the entire palace, and I’m afraid he might give you much trouble. If he gets to be too much to handle, please let me know, I’ll have a talk with him myself.” He bellows with a fatherly laugh, oblivious to your worries. “And please, if you need anything from me, please let me know, even if it’s not related to the prince.”

You smile at him and nod. He then gestures to his right, to a male guard you had not noticed earlier. The lean boy looked surprisingly young, but had an easy, almost casual stance to him. He bowed to you as the king said, “This is Sir Mark, he will take you to Donghyuck. If you need anything, you can tell him.”

“Greetings, my lady. You may call me Mark, I’m Prince Donghyuck’s personal guard. Please, follow me.” He starts to move back towards the doorway, and you turn to give the king one last bow. He gives you a wide smile and waves you goodbye with “Good luck!”

You follow Mark out into the hallway and he leads you into a separate wing. Although some of your nerves have gone, you still don’t quite know what to expect from meeting the third prince, who seemed quite … fiery based on what other people said about him.

“He’s a nice young man, don’t worry, miss,” Mark says. You’re not sure if he sensed your apprehension, but you’re thankful that he started the conversation. 

“What is he like?” You ask.

“Like others have said, he can be quite stubborn when it comes to doing things he doesn’t like to do. He likes to sneak off into the kitchens or gardens or even into town whenever he can. But he’s not stupid, he knows what’s good for him and what isn’t. I think you’ll find that he’s quite intelligent when he applies himself.”

“That doesn’t really make me feel less nervous, but it is good to know.”

He stops in front of a door and opens it, revealing a room not unlike your own piano room at home. Shelves of books and closed cabinets line the walls, and a large window lets in light. In the center, an ornately designed grand piano with golden designs on its face sat directly in the line of sunshine. The room smelled musty, but there was no dust on the shelves or piano. You assume they must have had it cleaned only prior to your arrival.

“Stay here, I’ll go get the prince.” Mark closes the door behind you, and you take your time to admire the piano’s beautiful gilded face. You sit down on the piano bench and press tentatively on the keys. They feel stiff under your fingers, probably from the years of lack of use, but thankfully the piano is still in tune. 

You stand up again and scan the shelves. Many of them were sheet music for pieces you recognized from famous composers. Their pages were yellowing, but they did not seem wrinkled or ripped. There were unmarked books on the shelves too, but you didn’t want to touch anything as everything seemed so brittle due to their age. There were closed cabinets as well, but before you could open them you heard the door open behind you.

“Good afternoon, lady y/n! Thank you for coming today.”

You bow to Prince Donghyuck. Out of his formal wear, he looked even more boyish in his plain dress shirt and coat and casual slacks. “Thank you for having me, Your Highness.”

“Welcome to the palace. This was my mother’s music room. How do you find it?”

“It’s lovely, Your Highness.” You recall him mentioning that his mother had a piano. The beloved late queen had passed 10 years ago, so you suppose that was the last time this room was used.

“She used to play whenever she could, when I was younger,” Donghyuck says, brushing the top of the piano. For a short moment, he casts a warm gaze on the keys, catching you off guard before looking back up with a laugh. “I was too small then, couldn’t even reach the pedals! It was quite a sight.”

“If I may ask, Your Highness, why did you decide to learn the piano?” You ask, curious about the slip of vulnerability you think you caught. 

He grins. “As I said before, this was my father’s decision. I’m simply going along with it.” You get the feeling that he won’t speak further on the subject, so you let it go. You gesture to the piano bench. “Shall we begin, then?”

  
  


\----

As it turns out, Prince Donghyuck is a quick learner. You only need to show him the proper hand position once, and he perfectly mirrors it. Although he just started reading sheet music, he understood the note placements and what keys to press. Time signatures were simple, learning how to read what key a piece was on would be for future lessons, but conceptually everything came quite easily to him.

The problem was that he was lazy.

“I don’t understand why I have to keep pressing these 5 successive keys over and over again. It’s so _boring_ ,” he groans. “I want to play an actual song!”

“It’s called _practice_ , Your Highness. This is still your first lesson. Your hands are not used to moving from key to key. If you don’t practice this properly, you won’t be able to smoothly play more complicated pieces later on, and you could strain your wrist.”

“How long will that take?” he whines.

“If you consistently practice the homework I’ll give you, I believe it’ll take two weeks.”

“You mean I have to do this every day?” He groans and slams his forehead onto the keys. For a 16-year-old, he really was quite childish. 

“If you do well, I’ll bring you a treat, how does that sound?” You laugh when he quickly snaps his head up with glinting eyes, obviously excited by the proposition.

“What kind of treat?”

“What would you like, Your Highness?”

“I love sweets! Especially strawberries.” You can’t help but smile at how excited he is over a simple sweet. Despite being a prince, he doesn’t seem to be all that spoiled. He simply knows what he likes and doesn’t like, but he isn’t extravagant or unreasonable. 

“Then, let’s end it here for today. Remember to practice your exercises for at least one hour. I shall return in two day’s time with a treat.”

Prince Donghyuck stretches his arms above his head then gets up. He opens the door and Mark is waiting outside. “Mark, let’s escort Lady y/n to the gates. Then, let’s sneak out--”

“Sneak out where?” a familiar voice calls out down the hall. You’re both thankful that the voice has interrupted Donghyuck in his plans and terrified because the person you were hoping not to see has now appeared.

Strolling down the hallway are Jaehyun and Johnny in matching soldier’s outfits. Jaehyun’s easygoing smile and eyes full of mirth are directed at you, even though he is addressing his brother. 

“Jaehyun! Just the person I wanted to see,” Donghyuck says with a sly grin and a glance at you. 

“Your Highness, I hope you’re not planning on sneaking out to the town again,” Johnny warns the youngest prince jokingly, then turns to Mark, “and _you_ should stop letting him, Mark.”

Mark says in his defense, “Hey, I don’t _let_ him! If I can’t stop him I can at least accompany him to keep him safe!” You can definitely imagine Prince Donghyuck dragging his unwilling guard around town.

“Oh, it’s all harmless fun, don’t worry about it,” Donghyuck dismisses the warning with a flip of his hand.

“How were your lessons, Hyuckie?” Jaehyun asks, and he’s still keeping his eyes on you. “I hope he wasn’t too much trouble, y/n.”

You weren’t expecting to be addressed, but you try to answer playfully, “only a little bit.”

“That’s only to be expected, I suppose. I hope it’s not enough to stop you from coming.”

“Oh of course not. As long as he wants me to continue these lessons, I will.” Though in the back of your mind, you’re still not quite sure how long that will last.

“Could you stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Donghyuck says, exasperated. “Also, you two are quite casual with each other,” he continues in an insinuating tone. You blush at the comment.

“Nothing wrong with having friends, Hyuck.” Jaehyun defends, and Donghyuck raises his hands in mock surrender.

“Well then, maybe you could bring your _friend_ to the gate. Mark and I have to snea-- I mean, attend to some important business!” Behind the youngest prince, you see Mark rub his temples, surely dreading having to convince Donghyuck to remain in the palace. You would laugh if you weren’t nervous at the thought of having to walk with Jaehyun. “It’s alright, I can go by myself.”

“Oh nonsense, you could get lost! The palace is quite large, you know. And Johnny and Jaehyun are gentlemen, they’ll make sure you get there safely!” Before he finishes his sentence, he has already speedily walked half way down the hall, Mark tagging behind him trying to get him to slow down.

Jaehyun smirks at you cheekily, almost like he expected this from Hyuck. He gestures down the hallway in the other direction. “Well then, shall we?”


End file.
